A love for all things ice cream has new business owner Kim Elam creating delicious and innovative flavors at Kimmer’s Ice Cream shop in St. Charles.

Owner Kim Elam, has been in love with ice cream since she was a child. “My parents used to call me the dairy queen,” she said. Credit Devon Vida

As a Batavia High School student, Kim Elam worked at the local Baskin-Robbins.

“I had a great boss,” she said. “He taught me a lot about the ice cream business.”

Now, Elam is her own boss and has opened Kimmer’s Ice Cream at the former the location of Gramp’s Frozen Custard on West Illinois Street in St. Charles.

Elam attended Iowa State University, where she pursued a business degree and received some sound entrepreneurial advice from one of her professors.

“He really stressed that you should do what you love,” Elam said. “I’ve loved ice cream since I was a kid, so I decided to pursue the idea of opening an ice cream shop.”

Elam attended a week-long course at Ice Cream University, where she learned the art of making gourmet ice cream by mixing flavors and ingredients into her own recipes.

She eventually picked St. Charles for her business.

“I’m from Batavia,” she said,”so this was the perfect location for me to open my shop. Everything fell into place at the right time.”

While she has kept the tradition of her location selling Gramp’s Frozen Custard, her unique flavors are the showpiece of the shop. Her unusual varieties of ice cream like, Carmel and Sea Salt and The Parent Trap (Oreo cookies and peanut butter in vanilla ice cream), have taken the concept of traditional ice cream flavors to new heights by pushing the mainstream flavor palate into a delicious new dimension.

Kimmer’s Ice Cream will celebrate its grand opening on Saturday, May 21. Elam has planned a day of buy-one, get-one-free scoops and mini cones of her custom designed flavors. There will also be entertainment for children from noon to 9 p.m.

Kimmer’s Ice Cream is at 1 W. Illinois Ave. in St. Charles. The business can be reached at 630-762-9480, via Facebook or by visiting www.kimmersicecream.com.